1: And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of
Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to prove him with hard
questions.
2: And she came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with
camels that bare spices, and very much gold, and precious stones: and when she
was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart.
3: And Solomon told her all her questions: there was not any thing
hid from the king, which he told her not.
4: And when the queen of
Sheba had seen all Solomon's wisdom, and the house that he had built,
5: And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and
the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his
ascent by which he went up unto the house of the LORD; there was no more spirit
in her.
6: And she said to the king, It was a true report that I
heard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom.
7: Howbeit I
believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold,
the half was not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I
heard.
8: Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which
stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom.
9: Blessed
be the LORD thy God, which delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of
Israel: because the LORD loved Israel for ever, therefore made he thee king, to
do judgment and justice.
10: And she gave the king an hundred and
twenty talents of gold, and of spices very great store, and precious stones:
there came no more such abundance of spices as these which the queen of Sheba
gave to king Solomon.
11: And the navy also of Hiram, that brought
gold from Ophir, brought in from Ophir great plenty of almug trees, and precious
stones.
12: And the king made of the almug trees pillars for the
house of the LORD, and for the king's house, harps also and psalteries for
singers: there came no such almug trees, nor were seen unto this day.
13: And king Solomon gave unto the queen of Sheba all her desire,
whatsoever she asked, beside that which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty. So
she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants.
14: Now
the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred threescore
and six talents of gold.
15: Beside that he had of the merchantmen,
and of the traffick of the spice merchants, and of all the kings of Arabia, and
of the governors of the country.
16: And king Solomon made two
hundred targets of beaten gold: six hundred shekels of gold went to one target.
17: And he made three hundred shields of beaten gold; three pound of
gold went to one shield: and the king put them in the house of the forest of
Lebanon.
18: Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and
overlaid it with the best gold.
19: The throne had six steps, and the
top of the throne was round behind: and there were stays on either side on the
place of the seat, and two lions stood beside the stays.
20: And
twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other upon the six steps:
there was not the like made in any kingdom.
21: And all king
Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the
forest of Lebanon were of pure gold; none were of silver: it was nothing
accounted of in the days of Solomon.
22: For the king had at sea a
navy of Tharshish with the navy of Hiram: once in three years came the navy of
Tharshish, bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.
23: So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches
and for wisdom.
24: And all the earth sought to Solomon, to hear his
wisdom, which God had put in his heart.
25: And they brought every
man his present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and garments, and
armour, and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year.
26: And
Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen: and he had a thousand and four
hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he bestowed in the cities
for chariots, and with the king at Jerusalem.
27: And the king made
silver to be in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars made he to be as the sycomore
trees that are in the vale, for abundance.
28: And Solomon had horses
brought out of Egypt, and linen yarn: the king's merchants received the linen
yarn at a price.
29: And a chariot came up and went out of Egypt for
six hundred shekels of silver, and an horse for an hundred and fifty: and so for
all the kings of the Hittites, and for the kings of Syria, did they bring them
out by their means.